1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved coin registration and collection system for use in a coin activated machine. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an improved coin counting and escrow system designed to reduce the frequency of coins lodging or jamming in the coin counting and escrow system, thereby blocking the passage of any coins subsequently introduced into the machine and rendering the machine inoperative. In addition, the present invention is directed to an improved escrow unit which reduces the incidence of theft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Coin activated machines, such as vending machines, usually include a coin registration and collection system comprising a coin separating mechanism, a coin counting mechanism or totalizer, such as an All Coin Manual Recorder ("ACMR"), and an escrow unit for accumulating the coins thus counted. The particular structure of these mechanisms may vary depending on the function of the particular coin activated machine. However, when the machine is in an upright, operating position, generally these mechanisms are organized in a vertical array whereby the coin counting mechanism, such as an ACMR, is positioned below the coin separating mechanism and above the escrow unit. In such a fashion, coins introduced into the coin activated machine fall by gravity first through the coin separating mechanism. Next the coins fall through the coin counting mechanism or ACMR. As the coins exit the coin counting mechanism, they are collected in the escrow unit.
Coins often lodge or jam in one or more of the mechanisms comprising the coin registration and collection system of a coin activated machine. Coins often jam as a result of the passage of bent, damaged or oversized coins. However, more modern coin separating mechanisms route such coins directly to the coin return, preventing their passage through the rest of the coin registration and collection system. Such a mechanism is disclosed in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,280.
Prior art coin counting mechanisms are susceptible to coins becoming jammed in the coin race. This is often caused by the parallel planar accumulation of two or more coins in the coin passage of the unit itself. When coin blockage of this type occurs, the machine must be serviced by a trained service technician. The technician must open the vending machine to release or remove the jammed coins. Often to free the coin blockage, he must disassemble the coin counting mechanism. This coin blockage generally occurs as a result of coins stacking one on another in a vertical disposition in the escrow unit. Put another way, the coins stack vertically in on-edge orientation. Thus, after several coins stack in the escrow unit in this on-edge orientation, any coins subsequently introduced into the machine will "back up" into the coin counting mechanism.
Prior art escrow units have a number of other problems associated with them. In conventional escrow units, the escrow unit includes a pair of gates or levers. When the escrow vend gate is activated, it releases the accumulated coins to a cash box in the machine. The escrow return gate, when it is activated, releases the accumulated coins to the coin return slot of the machine. When the gates are both in a first, closed or "collection" position, they each fit flush against a downwardly-extending retaining stud. After the coin registration and collection system has registered an adequate deposit of coins, the purchaser may operate a vend button or knob on the machine. The desired product or service is then delivered to the purchaser and the gate opening to the cash box moves to a second, open position, releasing the accumulated coins from the escrow unit into the cash box. The purchaser may have a change of heart, however, and decide not to purchase any products or services. The purchaser then operates a coin return button or knob on the machine. The gate opening to the coin return slot moves to a second, open position, releasing the accumulated coins from the escrow unit into the coin return slot.
Because the gates are designed to fit flush against the stud, coins exiting the escrow unit may be caught or trapped between the stud and the gate as the gate is returning to the closed or collection position. Thus, the gate is stuck in a partially open position. In conventional escrow units, the coin can be caught or trapped in a vertical orientation between the escrow return gate and the stud. Any coins subsequently deposited into the machine are still registered by the coin counting mechanism. However, with the escrow return gate stuck in this open position, most if not all of these subsequently deposited coins will fall into the escrow unit and continue through the open gate to the coin return slot. Thus, unrestricted and unlimited vending is possible. Thieves have learned how to intentionally get coins caught in this manner, so the thieves can receive the products or services from the machine for free.
In prior art coin counting and escrow systems, a coin exits the coin counting mechanism, or ACMR, in an on-edge orientation, such that the coin's faces are essentially parallel to the coin's travel path through the coin counting mechanism. The coin will often remain in this on-edge orientation as it comes to rest in the escrow unit. Subsequent coins exiting the coin counting mechanism tend to stack edge-to-edge, one atop the other in this on-edge orientation. When a large number of coins is required for a particular product or service, the coins will back up through the coin counting mechanism as noted above, rendering the coin activated machine inoperative.
The inoperability of coin activated machines, such as vending machines, can be doubly expensive. First, there are the costs associated with remedying the problem, which generally include the charge for a service call by a trained technician. Then there are the costs associated with the lost vending opportunities. A frequently used vending machine may necessitate one or more service calls per day, resulting in an expense of many hundreds of dollars per week. As might be expected, such expenses greatly reduce the profitability and desirability of such a vending machine.